This unique collection of thoughtful and provocative essays brings together the personal retrospectives of seventeen of the most prominent American futurists. Their reflections on how the reality of the 1980s differs from what was anticipated, and what has been learned about social and technological change will provide important reading for futurists and planners who must confront a constantly changing horizon.

Early autumn, 1964; and for Allan Ross, his final year at quietly prestigious Williams College seems pretty sure to stay predictable and dull--until he meets Ann Ash, the fascinating daughter of a powerful, and widely feared, professor.

Suddenly, all bets are off, and Allan quickly learns that life holds infinitely more than good grades, campus savoir faire, and the joys of jamming to progressive jazz.

As winter grips the Purple Valley, Allan's neatly ordered world explodes in a storm of passion, doubt, and self-discovery. Love, real love, leads to marriage, right? So why delay? Why...